Day 4: Columbus NE to Ogallala NE

September 5, 2008
Day miles: 256
Cumulative miles: 1020

Cold and wet - that is the only way to describe today. The morning temps were in the mid 50s. I think the high was 61. We had quite a bit of rain most of the day. In spite of that the trip went well and we made good time. We arrived in Ogallala around 4:30p - however since we crossed into Mountain time it was really 3:30p. We were not aware of the time change until we went to a restaurant and found it quite empty! It was good to eat a bit early and let dinner settle before going to bed.

Ogallala was an important cow town in the late 1800s. However it had a suspect reputation in those days. A brochure about the town quotes the diary of an old trail driver, "From amongst its half hundred buildings, no church spire pointed upward, but instead, 3/4 of its business houses were dance halls, gambling houses and saloons." Another trail boss who let his drivers go into Dodge City for recreation did not allow his drivers to enter Ogallala because of its "wild and unsavory reputation."

Highlights of the day:

1. Stopping at a restored old bridge that was part of the original Lincoln Highway.
2. Eating Mountain Oysters - that is the dangling under-part on the south end of a bull that is headed north! Yep, we ate them! We are real men now!

The saloon where we had our mountain oysters.
Note the menu...	Yep, that's the item. Breaded and fried.
Munching on a mountain oyster!!	My main course was salmon and grilled vegetables.